The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
The Highlands at Harbor Springs, long known as Boyne Highlands, has a summit at 1,289 feet dropping 544 vertical feet to a base at 745 feet across 55 runs spread over 435 acres near Harbor Springs, Michigan. Terrain splits 36 per cent beginner, 31 per cent advanced, 31 per cent intermediate and 2 per cent expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 140 inches. The resort carries Ikon Pass access. Ten lifts, including four quad chairs and four triple chairs, serve the mountain alongside two surface lifts.
The resort holds a notable place in lift history: its original chairlifts, installed in 1963, were the first triple chairlifts anywhere in the world. This engineering milestone reflects the broader innovation culture of Boyne Resorts' founder Everett Kircher, whose company built the property into one of Northern Michigan's premier four-season destinations. Extensive snowmaking and night skiing support consistent conditions across the resort's beginner-to-advanced terrain mix.
The site first opened in 1955 as Harbor Highlands with a single slope and rope tow, but the venture struggled financially and closed. Boyne Resorts, led by founder Everett Kircher, purchased the property in the early 1960s along with an adjoining 2,900 acres to the north, paying off existing creditors and making shareholders whole as part of the deal. The resort reopened as Boyne Highlands in 1963 with 11 trails, five lifts and the Highlands Inn, headlined by the world's first triple chairlifts.
The resort operated as Boyne Highlands for nearly six decades before being renamed The Highlands at Harbor Springs in December 2021. Adult daily tickets run from 85 to 105 US dollars, with season passes from 599 dollars for the Classic Highlands option and Boyne's broader Michigan Gold Pass from 899 dollars. The resort remains part of Boyne Resorts' Michigan portfolio alongside Boyne Mountain.
545ft
Vertical
55
Runs
435 acres
Skiable
12ft
Annual snow
Ikon
Pass
The Terrain
55 runs across 435 acres skiable
The Highlands At Harbor Springs spreads 55 runs across 435 acres skiable of terrain. It leans beginner at 36%, with 20 beginner runs to find your feet and 18 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
55
runs
55 runs across 4 grades
Beginner20 runs · 36%
Intermediate17 runs · 31%
Advanced17 runs · 31%
Expert1 run · 2%
Time it right
When to visit The Highlands At Harbor Springs
The 2025-26 season at The Highlands at Harbor Springs ran from 6 December 2025 to 13 April 2026, a roughly eighteen-week season. Average annual snowfall of around 140 inches, supplemented by extensive snowmaking, supports this operating window across the resort's beginner-to-advanced terrain mix. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most reliable natural conditions to the resort's modest but varied terrain. Night skiing extends the useful ski day for the resort's Northern Michigan visitor base, a significant part of its identity as a four-season destination. As an Ikon Pass property, the resort draws visitors beyond its immediate regional catchment, with weekends and holiday periods bringing heavier crowds.
The resort's Highlands Inn and broader lodging and amenity offerings support year-round tourism to the Harbor Springs area, with skiing as the primary winter draw. School holiday periods bring significant family visitation given the resort's substantial beginner-weighted terrain. The December 2021 rebrand to The Highlands at Harbor Springs has been accompanied by continued investment from parent company Boyne Resorts.
Specific event programming beyond standard lift operations is not confirmed in available resort information. The resort's status as home to the world's first triple chairlift, installed in 1963, remains a point of historical distinction referenced throughout its marketing and identity. Its Ikon Pass access continues to bring a broader mix of destination and regional visitors through the season.
Season 2025 - 2026
6 Dec 2025
Opens
13 Apr 2026
Closes
128
Days open
12 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to The Highlands At Harbor Springs, and where to stay
The Highlands at Harbor Springs sits near Harbor Springs in Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula, with a base elevation of 745 feet and a summit at 1,289 feet across a 544-foot vertical drop over 435 acres. This is a popular Northern Michigan resort region known for its lakeside towns and four-season tourism.
Harbor Springs itself is a well-known lakeside town on Lake Michigan's Little Traverse Bay, offering upscale lodging, dining and shopping alongside the resort's own on-site facilities. The broader region, including nearby Petoskey, draws visitors year-round for its combination of lake recreation, golf and skiing. Boyne Mountain, the resort's sister property under Boyne Resorts, sits a short distance to the south.
US Route 31 and state highways connect Harbor Springs to the broader Northern Michigan road network, with the resort a short drive from the town centre. Winter driving conditions in the region can include lake-effect snow and ice, though the well-travelled routes around Harbor Springs and Petoskey are regularly maintained. There is no direct public transport service to the resort.
Pellston Regional Airport offers limited commercial service nearby, while Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City and airports in Detroit and Grand Rapids provide more extensive flight options for visitors travelling from further afield. Most visitors drive to the resort from within Michigan or neighbouring Midwest states rather than flying directly into the immediate area.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near The Highlands At Harbor Springs, powered by Stay22.
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The Highlands At Harbor Springs Lift System
The Highlands at Harbor Springs runs ten lifts: four quad chairs, four triple chairs and two surface lifts, serving 55 runs across 435 acres near Harbor Springs. The resort's triple chairs carry particular historical significance, tracing back to the world's first triple chairlift installation when the resort opened as Boyne Highlands in 1963.
Everett Kircher, Boyne Resorts' founder, was known for pioneering lift technology throughout his career, and the original two three-person chairs installed at the resort's 1963 opening set a global first that shaped chairlift design across the industry. The current ten-lift network has expanded well beyond that original two-chair configuration, with quad chairs added to increase capacity across the mountain's beginner and advanced terrain.
The four quad chairs and four triple chairs distribute skiers across the resort's varied terrain, while the two surface lifts serve beginner and learning areas near the base. There is no gondola or six-pack chair, consistent with the resort's modest vertical drop and Northern Michigan scale relative to Western destination resorts.
Specific recent lift replacement or expansion projects beyond the current ten-lift network are not confirmed in available resort information. Since the December 2021 rebrand to The Highlands at Harbor Springs, Boyne Resorts has continued to invest in the property as part of its broader Michigan portfolio alongside Boyne Mountain. The resort's Ikon Pass affiliation continues to bring destination visitors to a lift network with genuine claim to industry-first engineering.
10lifts across 3 types
4
Quad Chairs
4
Triple Chairs
2
Surface Lifts
The Highlands At Harbor Springs lift system
The Highlands At Harbor Springs is served by 10 lifts, listed here by type. Check which lifts are turning against the live conditions before you plan your first laps - early lifts and high-speed chairs get you to the best snow fastest.
More The Highlands At Harbor Springs intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.